"Sometimes it is better not to know fate..."

You lucky, lucky people on the far side of the pond that separates Ireland from the USA! You all get to find out what happens in the Season 3 finale of Vikings. Most of us are wondering what will become of Ragnar Lodbrok tonight given that we know the great sagas and the multitude of endings that could befall the brilliant but flawed, reluctant king. But what will Michael Hirst decide is his fate? Season 4 or no more? I can already tell you that there is no willpower strong enough to keep me from reading all the glorious

spoilers on how the siege on Paris goes down and who we lose in the process.

In other news, has anyone else caught the clip of the cast talking about the battle scenes and how they prepare(or don't) for them? Just going to take a moment of appreciation for Moe Dunford(Aethelwulf) and his eloquent, honest, most Irish response given to a question ever. I won't ruin it for you! View for yourself and have a little giggle. I can only presume his response on Twitter, which included the hashtag #havinthecraic, was most definitely a pun intended.

Viking progress has been slow this week having taken a little breather from some of the intense Historical European Martial Arts(or for future references, HEMA) lessons. However, YouTube is a brilliant but dangerous source of endless amounts of sword tricking inspiration...I have a few bruises to prove it. If I get anyway good at some of the tricks I'll post a video...you might be waiting a while...some look pretty easy but I've been a little too close for comfort on more than one occasion to losing some fingers, an eyeball or my nose!

However, I have been making #LikeAViking and getting out into nature a bit more. This week's exploration took us to St. Mullins. A beautiful little part of Co. Carlow that not too many people are aware off. Perfect for a little R&R with the option of some hiking or kayaking on the river. It's one of my favourite places to visit. A little meander around the ruins of the church and stroll down to the little cafe by the river to take in the scenery. Next visit will definitely see us hopping in a kayak and taking in the scenery from the river.
#LikeAViking

Title quote: Season 1 Episode 9 All Change
Lagertha to Siggy
Fitting that a quote from the Season 1 finale should be the title on the blog for the Season 3 finale...the show has come such a long way already!

"If I had a voice I'd sing..."

Anyone who has watched an episode of Vikings will know the colossal part music plays in tying the whole show together. It's the cast member that doesn't get the credit. It ramps up the suspense and makes the tension in some scenes palpable. It sets the pulses of the audience racing as if you were running into battle with the shield maidens and warriors, and is the thumping heartbeat of every battle sequence. It sets the eerie, discordant tone for some of the more unsettling pagan ritual scenes(Season 1 Episode 8 Sacrifice and the human sacrifice of Leif at Uppsala, anyone?). Who can't recall the haunting but beautiful a Capella song that played through his final triumphant moments?!
The opening credits of the show are perfectly scored by Fever Ray's 'If I Had A Heart'. An ominous, atmospheric song that incites the Vikings lust for power, wealth and land, and invokes Ragnar's own insatiable hunger for knowledge and exploration in a single recitation: "This will never end coz I want more. More, give me more, give me more!"
Hats off to Michael Perlmutter and Trevor Morris for their musical contributions to the show.
As much as it is an element of the show, music is a huge part of my life. Since I can remember, I've been making noise and writing songs. The second I picked up a guitar there was no end to my capacity for making a cacophony.
What follows(if you choose to click on the video) is my cover of "If I Had A Heart" by Fever Ray.

VERY IMPORTANT WARNING/DISCLAIMER
1. If you press play, you do so at your own risk. I do not claim to be a good singer/guitarist, I merely enjoy both(aka, you will have no legal comeback if your ears start to bleed).
2. It's probably best to turn the volume down a bit and don't watch this in public...I do not want to be responsible for you getting concerned glances from strangers who think you are viewing questionable cat videos!
3. Yes, I know, the video quality is shocking. It was taken on a severely disfigured iPhone which should have been retired many moons ago(there's a new one in a box in bedroom but I'm kinda waiting to see how long it will hold up considering how mangled it has gotten).
4. Yes, I know, there are a multitude of things wrong with my guitar playing, phrasing and that little bit towards the end where I had to quickly take a breath(I forgot to take one at the correct time and if I hadn't gasped for air when I did I would probably have accidentally suffocated myself whilst trying to entertain you with a little musical number...that's showbiz for ya folks!).
5. No Vikings were actually harmed in the making of this video.
6. No infringement of copyright is intended by this video/blog.

#LikeAViking

"All things begin and end as stories..."

Fresh from a productive day of applying to be an extra on Season 4 of Vikings and haven written the blog to let you all know about the event, I was feeling a little braver than usual. Maybe it was the excitement of the day that was in it, maybe it was the buzz I was rocking from a serious dose of Vitamin D from the unusually good weather. Did I mention we had sunshine AND clear blue skies yesterday...in Ireland...in April??? I have the freshly embellished freckles to prove it if you don't believe me and tell tale tan lines on both sides of my face where my specs were positioned(tan lines...in April...in Ireland...have you ever heard the likes of it in your life!?!).

Whatever the reason for my increased sense of adventure, I went right ahead and tweeted some of the lovely cast of the show in a bid to maybe get them to retweet the link to my little blog. Not thinking too much more of it I got a nice little surprise when I opened my Twitter app only to see an influx of favourites and retweets. On closer inspection of my notifications I saw a message from one of the cast. Amy Bailey, Princess Kwenthrith herself, had not only shared the link to my blog but, being the absolute lady that she is, had taken the time to wish me luck with my little endeavour and hoped to maybe see me on set if I was deemed suitable to be a fuzzy blur in the background for the upcoming season! Judging by the number of views on my blog today, I owe her a serious "thank you" both for increased interest in the blog and the lovely sentiment of her message.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say "hello and welcome" to any of my newbie readers. Hope you enjoy my ramblings and misadventures :)

Sticking with social media, has anyone taken any notice of the trailers that have been released for each episode? The teaser ones with the brilliant sense of humour running through them? Hats off to the team behind these genius little clips. Came across the newest one for Season 3 Episode 8 today and may have audibly chuckled at the tagline, 'there will be no cake'. Maybe it's one of those things where you need a bit of context to appreciate the humour. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is that very clip. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

#LikeAViking

Title Quote: Vikings Season 1 Episode 2 Wrath Of The Northmen
Ragnar to his assembled crew

"I accept my fate..."

Twas a fine, soft morning for a roadtrip to Wicklow. For today was the day that my fate would be decided as to whether I'm Viking Extra material or not. Despite the early start, my fellow roadtripees were in good spirits as we hit the road and banter was at an all time high after some much needed caffeine! Not very Viking, I know. But we couldn't get our hands on a supply of meade at that hour and, these days being in charge of a mode of transportation whilst partaking in the consumption of alcoholic beverages is somewhat frowned apon! Like most Viking journeys there were some casualties along the way. So I'd like to take a moment to honour those we lost in transit. Namely a pigeon that didn't quite get out of the way in time and made all occupants of the vehicle scream in a very unwarrior-like fashion. And proving that the 6am start was just a little too much for some of us, Tara's usual indepth knowledge of the wildlife of Ireland was subpar as she mistook a cat for a badger. I would like to take another moment to pay respects to the cat(that was not our doing before you think we went on some sort of Viking inspired killing spree bloodbath on the way to the open casting call!!!).

Inspite of our early rise, we found ourselves at the end of a queue that had started from the night before. As one of the lovely staff members of the Grand Hotel informed us that some of the attendees for today had begun queuing after their dinner the previous night. Lucky to be blessed with a sunny day with clear blue skies, our wait was short lived in the sunshine as things kicked off on time. Spirits were high amongst the gathered masses and banter was top notch. I can say this happily, as it was Tara's singing and not mine that got a bit of a slagging. All in good fun though. One dude even went that little bit further to provide entertainment for those enjoying the spectacular views of the Grand Hotel's carpark...Tara was particularly impressed by a well trimmed bush(careful now...actual shrubbery) on the periphery of the grounds. He brought along his wooden flute(mind out of the gutter peoples, I am talking about the actual musical instrument...tut tut). Maybe it was the time of the morning, maybe it was self consciousness after some of the comments passed after Tara's outburst of singing, but not a single person was moved enough to dance. But I'd still like to thank you for the music...whoever you are!

Our teamwork and coordination as extras was tested early on when the car park started to empty and the many different queues were scattered with the movement of exiting cars...when you've been queuing for a couple of hours, things get tetchy when opportunistic folks try to use the confusion to their advantage and try to merge into a queue that would cut a few hours off their wait. Being laidback and, pretty much just happy to be there, we let some of the other people deal with sorting out of the queues.

Once inside, it all went pretty quickly. It was so well organised that no time was being wasted from the second you got into the holding room. Filled out the form(cheeky plug for the blog included but forgot to mention my epic bitchy resting face) and got my mug shot taken(Props to the Extras Coordinator for the sarcastic praise for our queuing ability...he's already a legend in our opinion).

So for now it is a waiting game. Hopefully I have enough skills to impress the powers-that-be to be granted the opportunity to be a fuzzy, out of focus, blur in the background of a scene or two.

#LikeAViking

Title Qoute: Season 1 Episode 5 Raid

Ragnar to Earl Haraldson

"Does it really mean that much to you, brother?"

Yes! Being an extra on Vikings would mean alot to me.

So it turns out quite alot of people have heard the saying, "Always be yourself. Unless you can be a Viking. Then always be a Viking!" That's if the queues in Temple Bar, Dublin over the last couple of days are anything to go by. Bearded men and long haired women(and possibly bearded women...I don't know, I'm sure Vikings is an equal opportunities employer) have been queuing for a chance to get on set of the History Channel's runaway success series, Vikings Season 4. The crowds that gathered to queue have garnered major media interest and even made front page news on many of the national papers here in Ireland. I personally cannot wait to go apply next Tuesday in Wicklow and hope that the Viking Gods look favourably on my application...

In the meantime, to get a feel for the Viking way of life, myself and a couple of friends took a trip down to the Wexford Heritage Park, Ferrycarrig. I remember going there years back and jumping on the Viking Longboat on the river and being fascinated by the carved mast head. Unfortunately this time around, due to the aging of the wood, the mast head is no longer there. But the boat still stands relatively in tact in a boat shed much like Floki's from the actual TV series...and therefore, perfect for a couple of snaps to get into the spirit of things. (That's Tara looking a little more Kate Winslet circa Titanic than Norsewoman, and me trying out some 'air rowing' for some authenticity!) It's a beautiful location looking out over the Slaney and you definitely feel like you've stepped back in time standing in the thatched dwellings that boast distinctive Scandinavian styles of cross timbering. As it turns out, the Park now does overnight stays where you get full use of the park, stay in some thatched accommodation, tend to livestock and dine and dress as they would have many moons ago. Definitely reckon it'd be a bit of craic for the summer months. Don't think I'd fancy it too much until the weather pics up a bit :)

And onto something that would definitely be a talking point on anyone's CV, swordfighting or historical european martial arts. Training came on leaps and bounds with the introduction of a new training partner. My sister turned out to be too worried about possible alterior motives and injuries so Tara, my fellow extra auditionee, has stepped forward to take her place. What began as a quick run through a few bits and pieces to get her up to speed turned into a four hour sparring session...in the rain...that's dedication! (A note on the training equipment: swords were ordered online from Fabri Armorum. Basic training swords with rounded edges weighing 1.9kg and 120cm in length. Once order was placed and confirmed, swords were delivered quite quickly from the Czech Republic) Never ones to miss out on a photo-op, we took the opportunity to recreate a Viking burial. Not so sure a picnic table was ever utilised in the burial ritual of Viking heroes but there was so little written or known about it that we kinda figured why not!?!

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*Title Quote: Vikings Season 1 Episode 2 Wrath of the Northmen

Ragnar to Rollo